New-look Pacers welcome Barnes, Mavericks in opener
新生代溜馬在開幕戰迎接小牛與Harrison Barnes
The NBA season kicks off on Wednesday night for the Indiana Pacers and Dallas
Mavericks.
明天將是印第安那溜馬與達拉斯小牛的球季開幕戰。
New faces in both places breed renewed optimism entering the 2016-17 season.
兩隊都有不少新面孔，並對於新球季感到樂觀。
The Pacers parted with head coach Frank Vogel after last season, and team
president Larry Bird said he wanted to redefine the way his team plays. The
overhaul also brought point guard Jeff Teague, power forward Thaddeus Young
and center Al Jefferson to the Pacers, who tout superior athleticism and
depth than previous seasons.
溜馬與前教練Frank Vogel分手後，總裁Larry Bird希望帶領球隊打出新球風，
他簽下了後衛Jeff Teague、大前鋒Thaddeus Young和中鋒Al Jefferson，希望
借用這幾位球員的運動能力。
Indiana's franchise player Paul George is looking forward to testing the
new-look team in the regular season.
溜馬的一哥依然是Paul George，他們即將在開季面臨挑戰。
"I don't want to jump the gun and say this is the best team I've been on, but
it's shaping up to be," George said. "I've got a new group with unbelievable
talent."
George說："我不想太武斷的說這是我待過最強的溜馬隊，但我們大有可為，
我們這團隊有無比的潛力。"
The Pacers face another of their former coaches, Rick Carlisle, who is
entering his ninth season with the Mavericks. Indiana's new coach, Nate
McMillan brings a style of play to the franchise that might not be recognized.
溜馬將對上前教練Rick Carlisle，這是卡帥第九季率領小牛隊。溜馬新主帥
Nate McMillan說他將帶領溜馬打出全新風貌。
"I think our roster puts us in a position to play any style," McMillan said.
"We want to play with a lot more ball movement. Our guys have to commit to
running."
McMillan說："我們的陣容攻守兼備，我們希望能把球流動的更順暢，要有更
多的跑動。"
There's a lot of talk about George, Myles Turner and the new Pacer players,
but former Maverick Monta Ellis will have a lot to say about the team's
success this season after his most diligent offseason in several years.
大家都在談論George、Myles Turner與其他的新成員，但前小牛球員Monta
Ellis對於他在休賽季的努力也有話要說。
"I rededicated myself this summer in the gym," Ellis told NBA.com. "Last year
was tough. I let the team down. It's a new beginning and I wanted to be part
of that."
Ellis告訴NBA官網說："我整個暑假都在球場練習，去年我打的掙扎，讓球
隊失望了，這是一個新的開始，我希望能對球隊貢獻。"
Ellis is hoping to help the Pacers defeat his former team on opening night.
Last season, he averaged 18.0 points per game against the Mavericks.
Ellis上季對上小牛平均能拿到18.0分，他希望幫助溜馬在開幕戰擊敗前東家
小牛。
For Dallas, the new faces on the team include two NBA champions from Golden
State- Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut. The Mavericks haven't made it out of
the first round of the playoffs since winning a championship in 2011, and
they will be relying heavily on these new additions to get over that hump.
小牛的新面孔則是包括兩位拿過冠軍的球員－金州勇士的Harrison Barnes與
Andrew Bogut小牛自從2011年奪冠之後就未曾闖過第一輪，他們希望能借重
這兩位球員的經驗來有所突破。
"They're champions," said Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki. "They're great
players and they're part of a championship team, so they know how to play and
they know how to win."
小牛球星Dirk Nowitzki說："他們拿過冠軍，是很棒的球員，他們知道如何
打球，如何贏球。"
A lot of eyes will be on Barnes in particular after signing a $94 million
contract. His preseason performance brought heaps of criticism in Dallas.
大家都會關注與小牛簽了4年94M合約的Barnes，他在季前賽的表現受到不少
批評。
"There's going to be bigger expectations and I'll have a larger role on this
team," Barnes told ESPN.com. "But the biggest thing I've learned in my four
years I've been in the league is that winning is the biggest priority."
Barnes告訴ESPN官網說："大家會對我有更高的期待，我在球隊將占有更重要
的角色，我在聯盟的四年當中學到，贏球是最重要的事情。"
One of the issues for the Mavericks moving forward will be the aging point
guards. Despite the talent, Deron Williams, Devin Harris and J.J. Barea are
all on the wrong side of 30. As the NBA continues to play a faster game, the
Mavs could struggle keeping up at that position.
小牛的後衛老化問題將會帶來影響，三位後衛Deron Williams、Devin Harris
與J.J. Barea都已年過30，在球風愈漸快速的聯盟，這是小牛的隱憂。
Last year, the Mavericks and Pacers had identical offensive numbers.
上季，小牛與溜馬的攻擊能力非常相似。
Dallas averaged 102.3 points per game, while the Pacers averaged 102.2. In
Wednesday's matchup, look for a high scoring contest as each team will try to
get out and run on opening night.
小牛每場平均能得到102.3分，溜馬則是102.2分，明天兩隊預期將會打出高比
分來搶下首勝。
The Pacers won both games against the Mavericks last season.
溜馬去年遇上小牛兩戰皆勝。
要開季啦~~今年就繼續欣賞Dirk最後的身影
也期待小將們的成長
Let's Go Mavs!!